Terminal crimping apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to an improved wire processing apparatus for making electric wire leads and harnesses including the cutting of the wire or wires, the cutting and stripping of the insulation from the end portions thereof, and the assembly of the components including the connection of the terminals thereto. The apparatus includes spaced head mechanisms each including wire cutting and insulation cutting and stripping means, and terminal securing means, and which holds the wire throughout the operation of these means. Cooperating with the head mechanisms is one or more wire feed means each of which moves through one of the head mechanisms to position an end portion of a wire in another of the head mechanisms and then returns through said one of the head mechanisms to position another portion of the wire in said one of the head mechanisms.

United States Patent [191 Dyksterhouse TERMINAL CRIMPING APPARATUS [76] inventor: Robert M. Dyltsterhouse, RR. 3,

Charlevoix, Mich.

[221 Filed: Nov. 3, 197i [211 Appl. No. 195,165

521 u.s.'c| ..29/2030 '[51] Int. H01! 43/04 [58] Field of Search 29/203 D, 203 DT, 29/203 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS $402,452

9/1968 Mraz 29/203 D Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager Attorney-J. King Harness, Robert L. Boynton et al. I

[ 1 July 3, 1973 [5 1 ABSTRACT The present disclosure relates to an improved wire processing apparatus for making electric wire leads and harnesses including the cutting of the wire or wires, the cutting and stripping of the insulation from the end portions thereof, and the assembly of the components including the connection of the terminals thereto. The apparatus includes spaced head mechanisms each including wire cutting and insulation cutting and stripping means, and terminal securing means, and which holds the wire throughout the operation of these 1 means. Cooperating with the head mechanisms is one or more wire feed means each of which moves through one of the head mechanisms toposition an end portion of awire in another of the head mechanisms and then returns through said one of the head mechanisms to position another portion of the wire in said one of the head mechanisms.

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TERMINAL CRIMPING APPARATUS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus of the above mentioned type in which the wire is held throughout the cutting of the wire, the cutting and stripping of the insulation, the placing of the wire in the terminals and the securing of the terminals thereto.

It is also an object to provide an improved apparatus of the above mentioned type including a pair .of head mechanisms the distance between which controls the length of the lead to be made and a feed nozzle movable through one of the head mechanisms for positioning a length of wire between said head mechanisms in position to be held thereby and in which the nozzle returns through the same head mechanism to grip the wire between the length of wire to be cut by the head mechanisms and the source of supply.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved head mechanism for a wire processing apparatus including improved wire cutting and insulation cutting and stripping means and improved terminal securing means and which holds the wire securely throughout the operation of these means.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved wire feed mechanism for a wire processing apparatus and an improved nozzle assembly through which the wire extends at all times.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such an improved head mechanism adapted to secure 'a plurality of wires to a single terminal.

It is. a further object of the present invention to provide such an improved wire processing apparatus including a combining unit adapted to position a plurality of wiresfor connection to a single terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a wire processing apparatus an improved head having improved means for cutting the insulation and stripping it from the wire A further object is to provide improved means for positioning the wire in the terminal to be attached thereto and for attaching the terminal to the wire.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will be appreciated from a consideration of the following specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings throughout the several views of which like reference characters designate like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a broken perspective view of an embodiment of the invention adapted to make a single wire lead having a terminal secured to each end thereof;

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a wire lead which may be made by the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 2;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 taken substantially along the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3 taken substantially along the line 4-4 thereof;

FIG. 5' is a broken reduced side elevational view of tion of the arrow 5;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse horizontal sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 5 taken substantially along the line 5-5 thereof;

FIG. 7 is a broken enlarged elevational view of the wire feed mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow 7;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the cut and strip assembly illustrated in FIG. 3 looking in thedirection of the arrow 8 and showing the assembly in the,

11-11 thereof;

FIG. 12 is an elevational view 'of one of the wire cutter blades of the cut and strip assembly;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the blade illustrated in FIG. 12 taken substantially along the line 13-13 thereof;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of one of the insulation cutting and stripping blades of the cut and strip assemy;

FIG. 15 is a broken enlarged elevational view of the right hand end portion of the blade illustrated in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an end elevational view of the blade illustrated in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged elevational view of the terminal crimping and cutting assembly looking in the direction of the arrow 17 in FIG. 3;

' FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 17 taken substantially along the line 18-18 thereof; FIG. 19 is a view partially in section and partially in elevation looking at the rear of the terminal crimping and cutting assembly as seen in FIG. 17;

' FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 19 taken'substantially along the line 20-20 thereof;

FIG. 21 is a broken perspective view of a modified embodiment of the invention adapted to produce a multiple wire wiring harness and showing some parts diagrammatically;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged broken perspective view of a part of the structure illustrated in FIG. 21; I

FIG. 23 is a broken enlarged view of the combining unit illustrated in FIG. 22- and adjacent parts and looking in the direction of the arrow 23;

FIG. 24 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 23 and taken substantially along the line 24-24 thereof;

FIG. 25 he greatly enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 24 taken substantially along the line 25-25 thereof;

FIG. 26 is a plan viewof the combining unit illusin FIG. 22 in the open position and shows the wires in section;

FIG. 28 is an elevational view similar to FIG. showing the blades in a partially closed position;

27 but FIG. 29 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 27 but showing the blades in the full closed position;

FIG. 30 is a broken perspective viewof a simple two wire wiring harness which may be made by the modified embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 21 to 32;

' FIG. 31 is a broken elevational view of one of the wire feed mechanisms of this modified embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 32 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 31 taken substantially along the line 3232 thereof.

The improvements of the present invention, as will be appreciated from the following specification, may, be embodied in an apparatus for making a single wire lead having a terminal connected to each end or in making a wiring harness having multiple wires having terminals selected ones of which may serve to interconnect selected ones of the wires. FIGS. 1 to of the accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus embodying the improvements of the present invention and adapted to make a single wire lead with terminals secured thereto. FIGS. 21 to 32 illustrate an apparatus also embodying the improvements of the present invention and adapted to produce a simple wiring harness including two wires and in which a single terminal connects the adjacent ends of the two wires and in which the other end of each of the two wires is connected to its own individual terminal.

Referring to FIGS. 1-20 of the drawings, the improved wire processing apparatus of the present invention'there illustrated is adapted to make a single wire lead such as is generally indicated at 21 in FIG. 1A and including a conductor 23 covered with insulation 25 and having terminals 34 secured to the ends thereof. The apparatus generally comprises a stationary head 20 and a movable head 22 which are mounted on an elongated support 24 mounted on suitable base portions 26 and 28. The heads 20 and 22 are generally similar but oppositely facing, as seen in FIG. 1, and each includes a cut and strip assembly 30 for cutting the wire and cutting the insulation and stripping it from an end portion of the wire, a terminal feeding assembly 32 adapted to feed the end terminal 34 of a conventional terminal strip 36 into position, the terminal strip being carried on a reel (not show-n) mounted on an arm 38 at each head. Each head also includes a terminal crimping and cutting assembly 40 which crimps the terminal to the wire and to the insulation and cuts the terminal 34 from the strip 36. Also, each head includes a clamp 42 which grips the wire and holds it throughout the cutting, stripping and terminal crimping and cutting operations. The wire is fed to the heads 20 and 22 in which it is held by the clamps 42, by a nozzle assembly 44 which is carried by a shuttle assembly 46 mounted on the elongated support 24 for movement therealong. As will be apparent from the following description, the construction is such that the nozzle, starting from a position in which it grips the wire between the stationary head 20 and a suitable source of supply of the wire, (that is, to the left of the head 20 as viewed in FIG. 1) moves through the stationary head 20 to position what may be called the leading end of the wire in the adjustable head 22 where is is grasped by the clamp 42 thereof, and then the nozzle 44 returns through the stationary head 20 to a position in which it again grips the wire between the head 20 and the source of supply. During this return movehead 22 (see FIG. 1) to retract the nozzle 92 to expose ment the shuttle stops preliminarily when the nozzle assembly 44 has cleared the clamp 42 of the head 20 while the head 20 operates to close the clamp 42 thereof to hold the wire and then the shuttle 46 continues its movement to its final position in which the nozzle 44 is clear of the head 20 and in the above mentioned starting position. The operation of the heads 20 and 22 cuts the wire at both ends to provide the desired length, cuts and strips the insulation from both ends thereof and secures a terminal to each end thereof, all while securely holding the wire in the clamps 42.

More specifically, the elongated support 24 is in the form of a cylinder in which is mounted a piston 50 (see FIG. 3), the opposite end of the cylinder being closed by caps 52 and 54. Bracket assemblies 56 and 58 are mounted at the opposite ends of the cylinder and include connections so that fluid may be supplied to the cylinder 24 for moving the piston 50. The bracket assemblies 56 and 58 include upper and lower members 51 and 53 interconnected by screws 55 which also clamp the bracket assemblies 56 and 58 in place on the cylinder 24. A pair of cables 60 and 62 each has one end secured to one end of the piston 50. The cables extend through the cylinder end caps 52 and 54 and around the pulleys 64 supported at the opposite ends of the cylinder 24 on mounting plates 57 mounted on the brackets 56 and 58 and adjustable longitudinally of the cylinder 24 by means of screws 59. The other ends of the cables 60 and 62 are secured to opposite ends of the shuttle assembly 46 to move the shuttle in response to movement of the piston 50.

The shuttle assembly 46, as best illustrated in FIG. 7, includes a central bar portion 66 and is supported in a desired parallel relation to the cylinder 24 by a shuttle guide 68 which is slidably mounted on the cylinder 24 and slidably receives and supports the shuttle bar 66, the guide 68 being held against rotation relative to the cylinder 24 by a key 70 received in a keyway 72 in the V cylinder 24. The shuttle assembly 46 has bullet-nosed end sections 74 and 76 for positioning the shuttle 46 relative to the heads 20 and 22 as hereinafter described.

The nozzle assembly 44 is mounted on one end of the shuttle bar 66 for limited pivotal movement relative thereto by a support 78 secured to the shuttle bar 66 and having an inclined stop surface 80, and an L- shaped bracket 82 mounted on the support 78 by the cap screw 84, and carrying the nozzle assembly 44. The bracket 82 may rotate about the axis of the screw 84 between the position illustrated in FIG. 7 and a position in which the horizontal portion of the bracket 82 engages the inclined stop surface 80. A spring 86 urges the bracket 82 to the position illustrated. This pivoting of the nozzle assembly 44 relative to the shuttle 46 occurs during the positioning of the wire end in the terminal'at the adjustable head 22 as hereinafter described.

The nozzle assembly 44 comprises a hollow body 88 (see FIG. 3) secured to the bracket 82 by screws 90. Projecting from one end of the body 88 is a tubular nozzle 92 movable between the extended position illustrated and in which it is yieldably held by the spring 94 within the nozzle body 88 and a retracted position to which it may be moved by engagement of the stop 96 which extends downwardly from the outer end thereof with a target plate 98 on the clamp 42 of the movable a length of the wire adjacent the leading end of the wire 7 end of the spring 94. The chuck housing 104 is hollow to receive the wire therethrough and has an inclined cam surface 108 facing its interior and a jaw element 110 movable along said surface for gripping the wire.

It is urged along the surface 108 in a direction to grip the wire by a spring 112. By virtue of this construction when the nozzle assembly 44 moves toward the movable head 22, or toward the left as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 7, it locks to the wire and pulls it with it whereas when it moves in the opposite direction the jaw 110 moves along the surface 108 to release the wire and the nozzle assembly moves freely along the wire. It will be appreciated that the improved nozzle assembly of the present invention may be used not only with electrical wire but with any continuous length of filament like material which is desired to be drawn from a coil or other source of supply and feed in the course of processing.

Turning now to the heads 20 and 22, they are generally the same except that the movable or adjustable head22 is symmetrically opposite to the stationary head 20 which is illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 6. Except as hereinafter pointed out the following description of the stationary head 20 is accordingly equally applicable to the movable head 22. Referring to these figures and initially to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the head 20 comprises a lower base 120 and an upper base 122 which are secured together by screws 124 to mount the head on the support cylinder 24. The lower base 120 is provided with keys 126 which are received in the keyway 72 of the cylinder 24 to align the heads relative to each other and relative to the shuttle guide 68. A head actuating member 128 which is generally C-shaped, as seen in FIG. 2, is mounted on the bases 120 and 122 for vertical sliding movement relative thereto by a vertically extending dovetail section 130 (see FIG. 6) of the member 128 which slides between cooperating dovetail surfaces 132 and 134 formed on the bases 120 and 122 and on a dovetail gib 136 (see FIG. 5) secured to the bases by screws 138 (FIG. 2). The lower portion 140 of the member 128 extends horizontally and is secured by screws 142 to the upper end of a vertically disposed cylinder 144 which moves vertically relative to a stationary piston (not shown) mounted on a piston 146 secured to the lower base 120 and extending downwardly therefrom through the lower portion 140 of the actuating member 128 and into the cylinder 144.

The lower portion 140 of the actuating member 128 at the side thereof facing the other head carries a pin 150 for actuating the clamp 42. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 the clamp 42 comprises a pair of scissorlike arms 152 and 154 pivotally interconnected in spaced relation to their upper ends by a pivot pin 156 which, as shown in FIG. 3, is mounted in a T-shaped slot 158 in the upper base 122. This permits bodily movement of the clamp 42 downwardly from the upper position in which it is illustrated and to which it is urged by the springs 160, to a lower position for positioning the wire in the terminal as hereinafter described. At their upper ends the arms 152 and 154 carry pads 162 for engaging the wire. Spaced below the pad 162 the arm 152, at the movable head 22 only, carries the arcuately shaped target plate 98 extending between the arms 152 and 154 (see FIG. 1). At the movable head 7 22 this target plate 98 is engaged by the stop 96,0n the nozzle 92 to move the nozzle 92 into the nozzle body 88 and expose an end portion of the wire for positioning in the head 22 for gripping by the clamp 42 thereof. The arms 152 and 154 are each provided in their lower portions with slots 166 and 168 through which the clamp actuating pin extends. The slots 166 and 168 are angled as shown to provide a quick closing during the initial downward movement of actuating pin 150. The desired pressure on the wire is maintained by coil springs 170 between the arms 152 and 154, and the pads 162. When the pin 150 reaches the lower ends of the slots 166 and 168 further downward movement pulls the clamp 42 bodily downward against the action of the springs 160, the pivot pin 156 moving downwardly in the T-shaped slot 158 in the upper base 122. This downward movement of the clamp 42 moves the prepared wire end down into the terminal 34 to be secured thereto.

The actuating member 128 has a horizontally extending upper portion spaced above itsdovetail portion 130 and carries a cam assembly 182 secured thereto at the underside of the portion 180 by screws 184 and formed in the member 128 The cam plates 188v and 190 have cooperating pairs of slots 198 and at their lower ends the plates 188 and 190 have cooperating cam surfaces 200 and 202, respectively.

The cut and strip assembly 30 is shown in detail in FIGS. 8 to 16 and is supported on the cam plates 188 and 190 by a pair of parallel horizontally disposed pins 204 the ends of which are received in the slots 198. The

assembly 30 comprises a pair of symmetrically opposite blade holders 206 and 208 each of which carries a wire cutter blade 210, an insulation cutter blade 212 and a spring finger 214 for knocking the insulation, cut and stripped from the wire out of the assembly 30. In their inoperative condition the blade holders 206 and 208 are held in spaced or open position as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 8 by a spreader 216 having cam surfaces 218 which engage cooperating cam surfaces 220 on the blade holders 206 and 208. The blade holders 206 and 208 are moved to their closed position illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 by the cam surfaces 200 and 202 of the cam plates 188 and 190 acting against cooperating cam surfaces 222 and 224, respectively, on the blade holders 206 and 208. The blade holders are slidably mounted on the pins 204 for movement between their open and closed positions and the spreader 216 is disposed between the pins 204. Vertical movement of the spreader 216 relative to the blade holders 206 and 208 is limited by a pin 226 extending between the holders 206 and 208 and disposed between and in parallel relation to the pins 204 and which extends through a vertically extending slot 228 opening transversely through the spreader 216.

When the actuating member 128 is in its upper position illustrated, the pins 204 supporting the cut and strip assembly are at the bottom of the slots 198 and the spreader 216 has been moved to cam the blade holders 206 and 208 to their open position, by a horizontal plate 230 which extends between the cam plates 188 and 190 for engaging the spreader 216 and is mounted on a sleeve 232 vertically slidable on a shaft 234 which is mounted in a socket 236 provided in the upper base 122 and in which it is held by a set screw 238. The sleeve 232 is yieldably urged to the upper limit of its travel by a spring 240 urging the sleeve 232 against a washer 242 mounted on the upper end of the shaft 234 by a screw 244.

The blade holders 206 and 208 have blade receiving recesses 250 in their adjacent faces and the wire cutter blades 210 and insulation cutter blades 212 are mounted therein and positioned as desired by spacers 252, 254, 256 and 258, two of which, 254 and 256, are recessed to hold the spring fingers 214 which act as insulation knock outs. The blades 210 and 212 and spacers 252, 254, 256 and 258 are held in place by lock pins 260 extending longitudinally through the blade holders 206 and 208 held in place by set screws 262. The two wire cutter blades 210 are identical and are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 and have cooperating V-shaped cutting edges 264. As shown in FIG. 9 these blades 210 are disposed back to back so that the cutting edges 264 are in substantially the same plane. The insulation cutter blades 212 are also identical and are shown in detail in FIGS. 14 to 16. Each has a semicircular cutting edge 266 and has a projecting portion 268 at one side of a horizontal centerline and a relief 270 at the opposite side of the centerline adapted to receive the projection 268 of the other blade 212 when such other blade is inverted relative to the first one, as shown in FIG. 9 so that the blades 212 are in back to back relation. As there shown, their cutting edges 266 are disposed in what may be called the central or midplane of the blade 212. When the blade holders 206 and 208' are moved to their closed position, the wire cutter blades 210 completely sever the wire and the insulation cutter blades 212 cut through the insulation and the cutting edges 266 define an opening through which the wire conductor extends. To provide for accurate positioning of these blades 212 in the holders 206 and 208 they are provided with chamfered corners 272 against which act set screws 274 mounted in the holders 206 and 208.

The end portion of insulation thus cut is stripped from the wire by bodily movement of the cut and strip assembly 30 off the end of the cut wire or to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. This bodily movement is effected as follows. During the first portion of the downward movement of the actuator member 128 in addition to closing the clamp 42 on the wire, the cut and strip assembly 30 moves with the member 128 until it seats upon a cut and strip anvil member 280 which supports the assembly 30 in position to close on the wire. As the member 128 continues downwardly the cam surfaces 200 and 202 of the cam plates 188 and 190 cooperate with the blade holder cam surfaces 222 and 224 to close the blade holders 206 and 208 and cut the wire and insulation. During this movement the pins 204 ride up in vertically extending lower end portions of the slots 198. As the actuating member 128 continues downward the pins 204 move through the inclined intermediate portions of the slots 198 and are cammed to the right as viewed in FIG. 3 carrying the cut and strip assembly 30 bodily to the right and stripping the cut insulation off the cut end of the wire. The anvil member 280 is secured to the upper base 122 by screws 282 and is accurately positioned relative thereto by keys 284 secured to the anvil 280 and received in a keyway 286 in the upper base 122.

The terminal feed assembly 32 moves the end terminal 34 of the terminal strip 36 into position on a terminal anvil assembly 290 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) supported on the upper base 122 and secured to the cut and strip anvil 280 by screws 292. The terminal anvil assembly 290 cooperates with the terminal crimp and cut off assembly 42 and comprises a holder body 294 which carries an insulation crimp anvil 296 and a conductor crimp anvil 298 both of which are mounted on the body 294 by a screw 300. The body 294 also carries a pair of square cut off plates 302 recessed in the upper surface thereof at opposite sides of the anvils 296 and 298 and a pair of rectangular cut off plates 304 secured to the opposite sides thereof. The body 294 also carries a fifth cut off plate 306 recessed in the opposite side thereof from the anvils 296 and 298.

The crimp and cut off assembly 42 which is shown in detail in FIGS. 17 to 20, is supported (as shown in FIG. 2) at the upper side of the upper horizontal portion of the C-shaped actuator member 128 by screws 310 extending through the holder body 312 thereof and into the edges of the cam plates 188 and 190. An insulation crimp blade 314 and a conductor crimp blade 316 are mounted on the body 312 by a screw3l8. A slot 320 is provided in the blade 314 through which the screw 318 extends to permit vertical adjustment of the blade 314 which is controlled by a dog point set screw 322 which may be locked in place by a nut 324. The crimp blades 314 and 316 cooperate with the anvils 296 and 298 to secure the terminal 34 to the end of the wire.

For cutting the terminal 34 from the strip 36 the cut off and crimp assembly 40 includes a front cut off blade 326, a rear cut off blade 328 and a side cut off blade 330. The blade 326 cooperates with one of the plates 302 at the stationary head 20 and with the other of the plates 302 at the movable head 22. Similarly, the blade 330 cooperates with one of the plates 304 at the head 20 and with the other at the head 22. The front cut off blade 326 is carried by a holder 332 adjustably mounted on the body 312 by a screw 334 having a threaded engagement with the holder 332' and held against longitudinal movement relative to the body 312 by a pin 336 extending into an annular relief 338 on the screw 334, the pin 336 being held in place by a set screw 340. The blade 326 is adjustable relative to the holder 332 by a screw 342 which has a threaded engagement with the blade 326 and is held against longitudinal movement in the body 312 by a dog point set screw 344. To permit this latter adjustment the aperture 346 through which the screw 348 extends to mount the blade 326 on the holder 332 is elongated in the direction of the screw 342.

The rear cut off blade 328 is mounted on a holder 350 by a screw 352 and the holder 350 is adjustably mounted on the body 312 by a screw 354 threadedly engaging the holder 350 and held against longitudinal movement in the body 312 by a dog point set screw 356. For locking the screw 354 in adjusted position a cone-pointed lock pin 358 is mounted in the body 312 for applying downward pressure on the holder 350 in response to movement of a cone-pointed set screw 360.

The side out off blade 330 is mounted on a holder in the holder 362 through which the set screw 370 extends to engage the screw 368 is also elongated in the direction of the screw 368.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6, the terminal feed assembly 32 comprises a housing 380 mounted on the upper base 122 and secured thereto by screw 382. The housing 380 extends at right angles to the support cylinder 24 adjacent theactuator member 128 and at an elevation adapted to feedterminals onto the terminal anvil assembly 290. Mounted on the housing 380 is a a terminal feed plate 384 adapted to support the terminal strip 36 as it is fed toward the terminal anvil 290, the edges of the strip 36 being confined under guides 386 and 388 overlying opposite edge portions of the plate 384. Below the plate 384 the terminal feed housing 380 carries a pawl slide 390 having an actuating pin 392 extending laterally through a slot 394 in the side of the housing 380 and riding ina generally vertical slot 396 in a cam plate 398 carried by the actuator member 128. A pawl holder 400 carries a pawl 402 pivotally supported thereon by a pivot pin 404 and urged upwardly by a spring 406, to its operative position illustrated in which the pawl 402 projects through a slot 408 in the plate 384 for engaging the terminal strip 36 during movement of the pawl slide 390 to the right as viewed in FIG. 2. During movement in the opposite direction the pawl 402 pivots down and moves along the underside of the terminal strip. Adjustment of the pawl 402 is provided by a screw 410 threadedly mounted in the pawl slide 390 and having its inner end connected to the pawl holder 400 for longitudinal movement therewith while permitting rotation relative thereto. The screw 410 may be locked in position by a nut 412. To provide a desired amount-of drag against free movement of the terminal strip 36 and hold it in the position to which it is fed bythe pawl 402 and to hold the strip during return movement of the pawl 402, a rectangular drag plate 414 is recessed in the guide strip 388 and the terminal feed plate 384.and is provided with a pair of springs 416 for urging it against the adjacent edge of the terminal strip 36. The drag plate 414 may be manually retracted, as during threading of the terminal strip 36 along the terminal feed plate 384, by a pin 418 extending upwardly through a slot 420 provided in the guide strip 388.

Removal of scrap terminal strip pieces from the terminal anvil 290 isfacilitated by the provision of an air nozzle 430 (see FIG. 3) mounted in the cut and strip anvil 280 and to which air may be supplied through a passage 432 therein.

In operation of the apparatus fluid is supplied to the cylinders 24 and 144 through suitable conduits and in response to suitable controls for effecting operation of the apparatus asdescribed herein. What may be called the starting position is generally as illustrated in FIG. 3,

except for the piston 50, which to facilitate illustration thereof is shown adjacent the right hand limit of its travel whereas its correct position for this condition is at the left hand limit of its travel, and except for the nozzle assembly 44 which is shown for illustrative purposes in a position in which it stops temporarily as herein described during its return movement. Its starting position is further to the right than illustrated in FIG. 3. In the starting position the movable head 22, not illustrated in FIG. 3, is in the same position as the stationary head 20 there illustrated. One end of an insulated wire is lead from a suitable source of supply through a wire straightener 440 (see FIG. 3) carried on an arm 442 secured to the bracket 58 on the right hand end of the support cylinder 24. The wire is then inserted through the nozzle assembly 44 from right to left so that it projects beyond the end of the nozzle 92. When operation of the apparatus is then initiated, fluid is supplied to the cylinder 24 to the left of the piston 50 causing the shuttle 46 to be moved to the left by the cable 62 and to carry the nozzle assembly 44 to the left through the stationary head 20 and toward the movable head 22, which is illustrated at the right hand side in FIG. 1. As the nozzle assembly approaches the head 22 the nozzle stop 96 engages the target plate 98 carried by the clamp 42 sliding the nozzle 92 into the body 88 and exposing a length of the wire which projects be yond the clamp 42 into the head 22. The shuttle nose piece 74 carries a target plate 444 adjustably mounted thereon by lock nuts 446 and which engages a switch (not shown) which stops the supply of fluid to the cylinder 24 and initiates the operation of the head 22 by supplying fluid to the cylinder 144 thereof. As the shuttle assembly 46 approaches this limit of its travel the shuttle nose piece 74 enters an aperture 448 in a shuttle guide 450 formed on the upper base member 122 of the head 22 which also provides the stop determining the position of the shuttle assembly 46 at this limit of its travel.

During the initial operation of the head 22 the clamp 42 thereof is closed to grip the wire. After operation of the terminal crimping and cut off assembly 40 a switch is actuated to supply fluid under pressure to the opposite-end of the cylinder 24 causing the shuttle assembly 46 to return toward the head 20 and its starting position. Throughout this-return movement the wire is-held by the clamp 42 of the head 22 and nozzle assembly 44 freely slides along the wire. As the shuttle assembly 46 approaches its starting position, it is temporarily stopped in the position in which the nozzle assembly 44 is positioned as illustrated in FIG. 3. For effecting this stop the support 78 (see FIG. 7) mounted on the shuttle bar 66 which carries the nozzle assembly 44 also carries a shuttle reverse travel stop 452 pivotally mounted thereon by a bolt 454 and movable between its normal horizontal position illustrated and in which it is yieldably' held by spring 456, and a counter clockwise pivoted position in which it stops against inclined surface 458. The above mentioned temporary or initial stop of the shuttle assembly 46 is effected bya pad 460 on the reverse travel stop 452 engaging a wear plate 462 on the shuttle guide 450 of the head 20 (seeFIG. 4) when the return travel stop 452 is in its normal pos'i tion illustrated. At the same time a switch is operated initiating operation of the head 20 by supplying fluid to the cylinder thereof. During the initial movement of the head the clamp 42 thereof closes to grip the wire.

The remainder of the operation of the heads 20 and 22 is identical except as noted below. As the head actuating member 128 of each head continues its downward movement after closing its clamp 42 to hold the wire, the cut and strip assembly 30 is lowered onto the anvil 280 and actuated to cut the wire and to cut the insulation in spaced relation from the cut end of the wire and strip the cut piece of insulation from the end of the wire. The closing of the cut and strip assembly 30 is effected by the cam plates 188 and 190 through the cooperation of their cam surfaces 200 and 202 with the cam surfaces 222 and 224 on the cutter blade holders 206 and 208. To accurately control the length of the product and to accurately position the end of wire and insure proper stripping, the wire is cut at both ends although only a short piece is cut off at the leading end of the head 22. The insulation is stripped from the wire by the bodily movement of the cutter blade holders to the right as viewed in FIG. 3 by the cooperation of the pins 204 with the cam slots 198 in the cam plates 188 and 190.

Also, during the downward movement of the head actuating member 128 the terminal feed assembly 32 feeds the end terminal 34 of the terminal strip 36 into position on the terminal anvil assembly 290. It will be appreciated that a wide variety of different terminals may be employed and that the components of the terminal anvil assembly 290 and of the terminal crimping and cutting assembly 40 may be varied in form and position for use with differing terminals and terminal trips. Actuation of the terminal feed assembly 32 as the actuating member 128 moves downwardly is by the cam plate 398 which through the cooperation of its cam slot 396 with the pin 392 advances the pawl slide 390 and pawl 402 to the right as seen in FIG. 2 along the terminal plate 384.

After the terminal feed assembly 32 has fed the end terminal into position on the terminal anvil assembly 290 the wire is lowered into position in the terminal 34. This is effected through the pin 150 carried by the head actuating member 128 as the pin 150, after reaching the lower ends of the slots 166 and 168 in the clamp arms 152 and 154, continues to move downwardly and pulls the clamp 42 downwardly and moves the wire held thereby down into the terminal 34. At the head 22, where this operation takes place before the nozzle assembly 44 starts its return toward the head 20, the pivotal mounting of the nozzle assembly 44 on the support 78 permits the lowering of the wire end' into the terminal 34 without excessive bending of the wire. To further assist in preventing sharp bending of the wire the clamp 42 of the head 22 carries a hook 451 which pulls the end of the nozzle 92 down as the clamp 42 moves down. This does not occur at the head 20 since the nozzle assembly 44 returns through the head 20, the clamp 42 thereof closes to hold the wire and the cut and strip assembly is actuated before the wire end is lowered into the terminal 34 by the clamp 42. Also, it will be appreciated that if desired the return movement of the shuttle 46 may be initiated as soon as the clamp 42 of the head 22 is closed, in which event the hook 451 and the pivotal mounting of the nozzle assembly 44 may be eliminated.

In the final downward movement of the head actuating member 128 the terminal crimp and cut assembly 40 moves down to cooperate with the terminal anvil assembly 290 to crimp the terminal 34 to the bare wire end and to the adjacent insulation and to cut the terminal 34 from the terminal strip 36.

Also during this downward movement of the head actuating member 128 of the head 20 the pivoted shuttle return stop 452 is disengaged from the wear plate 462 against which it initially stopped, by an adjustable stop release member in the form of a screw 464 threaded in the lower end of a sleeve 466 carried by a support 468 secured to the member 128 as shown in FIG. 4. In this preliminary stop position the shuttle bullet nose 76 (see FIG. 7) has entered the aperture 448 in the shuttle guide 450 of the upper base member 122 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The disengagement of the pivoted stop 452 is effected by the screw 464 coming down on a wear pad 468 mounted at the other end of the pivoted stop 452 from the pad 460. The stop release member 464 is adjusted so that it will trip the pivoted stop 452 as soon as the blades 210 of the cut and strip assembly 30 have cut the wire. Upon this unlocking of the pivoted stop 452 the shuttle assembly 46 continues its movement carrying the nozzle assembly 44 further to the right, beyond the position illustrated in FIG. 3 avoiding any interference by it with the operation of head 20. The final stop position of the shuttle assembly 46 and the nozzle assembly 44 carried thereby is determined by engagement of the end of the square shuttle bar 66 and the bracket 78 carried thereby with the shuttle guide 450 of the head 20. The stop release member 464 and its mounting, and the pivoted return stop member 452 are shown in broken lines in FIG. 3 for illustrative purposes although they are actually located ahead of the section, their actual position being shown in full lines in FIG. 4.

As the actuating member 128 of each head returns to its raised position as a result of the reversal of the fluid pressure in the cylinder thereof, whichpreferably occurs simultaneously in'both of the cylinders 140, the clamp 42 thereof releases the wire and is returned to its raised position illustrated, by the springs and cut and strip assembly 30 is returned to its open position through the cooperation of the spreader 216 and the plate 230. For continuous operation when the head members 128 return to their raised positions the pressure in the cylinder 24 is reversed and another cycle is started.

The above described apparatus also has the advantage. of readily lending itself to adjustment of the length of wire to be cut simply by loosening the bolts 124 which clamp the upper and lower base members 120 and 122 together to grip the cylinder 24. It will be appreciated, of course, that any other suitable means may be employed for clamping the head in the desired position of adjustment on the cylinder 24.

FIGS. 21 to 32 of the drawings illustrate another embodiment of the invention adapted to produce wiring harnesses such for example as that illustrated in FIG. 30. It will be appreciated, of course, that harnesses having additional wires and terminals may be readily made by modifying the apparatus to provide the'necessary heads and wire feed mechanisms. In the harness 500 there illustrated it will be noted that the wires 502 and 504 may be of different lengths, as there illustrated, and the adjacent ends of the two wires are connected to a common terminal 506. The other ends of the wires 502 and 504 have individual terminals 508 and 510 connected thereto.

The heads 512, 514 and 516 employed in this embodiment of the invention are generally the same as the heads 20 and 22 except as described below. More specifically, the heads 512 and 514 are the same as the head 22 except that the clamp 42' thereof does not include the target plate 98 which is provided on the clamp 42 of the head 22, and except for the fact that the cut and strip assembly 30' of the head 512 has differently shaped insulation cutting and stripping blades 212' as hereinafter described. Also, the clamp jaws 162 of the head 512 have a longitudinally extending groove 517 to receive the wire as hereinafter described. The head 516 is generally the same as the head 20. In this embodiment of the invention the heads 512,514 and 516 are supported on a base frame 518 through rod sections 520, 522 and 524 which correspond in size and external configuration to the cylinder 24 upon which the heads 20 and 22 of the above described embodiment are mounted. In this embodiment the head 512 is called the stationary head and the heads 514 and 516 are adjusted along their supporting rod sections 522 and 524 to provide the desired length of the wires 502 and 504.

The heads 514 and 516 have associated therewith wire feed mechanisms generally indicated at 526 and 528 which are identical except that one is symmetrically opposite to the other, and, accordingly, only the wire feed mechanism 526 is described and illustrated in detail herein. These wire feed mechanisms 526 and 528 are each adapted to pull a length of wire from a continuous source of supply through wire straighteners 440, and through heads 514 and 516, and to feed the leading end portions thereof through a combining unit 530 to position the ends of the wires in the head 512 in position to be gripped by the clamp 42 thereof. In this embodiment, after the clamp 42 of the head 512 grips the leading ends of the wires 502 and 504, the wire feed mechanisms 526 and 528 start their return travel to ward the' heads 514 and 516 and move through the heads 514 and 516 prior to the closing of the clamps 42 thereof to hold the wires.

As is best seen in FIG. 21 these feed mechanisms 526 and 528 form a V as viewed from above, with the wire combining unit 530 at the point of the V. Referring to FIG. 31 it will be seen that the feed' mechanism 526 is mounted on the base 518 by end brackets 532 and 534. The rod sections 522 and 524 are also mounted on the base 518 parallel to and outwardly of the feed mechanisms 526 and 528. v

The feed mechanism 526 includes a fluid cylinder 536 having end caps 538 and 540 provided with connections 542, 544, S46 and 548 through which fluid may flow to and from the oppositeends of the cylinder Within the cylinder 536 the piston 550 is connected to a piston rod 552 which extends outwardly through the rear cylinder cap 540 and is connected by a tie plate 554 to a shuttle'drive rod 556 which extends parallel to and in spaced relation above the cylinder 536. The rod 556 extends through and is guided by a plate 558 mounted on the cylinder end cap 540. At its forward end the rod 556 is connected to a shuttle 560 which is slidably mounted on a way 562 having a depending plate portion 564 extending through a slot 566 in the shuttle 560 to maintain it aligned relative to the way 562. The way 562 is disposed between and parallel to the cylinder '36 and the shuttle drive rod 556 and is rigidly mounted in the plate 558 at its rear end and at its forward end in a mounting plate 568 secured to the front cylinder cap 538.

The nozzle assembly 570 is generally similar to the nozzle assembly 44 of the above described embodiment and is supported on the shuttle 560 by an offset bracket 572 which extends laterally relative to the feed mechanism 526 so as to support the nozzle assembly 570, parallel to and directly over the head supporting rod section 522 and aligned with the head 514 so that upon the feed mechanism 526 returning through the head 514 it positions the wire for gripping and holding by the clamp 42 thereof. The nozzle assembly 570 is mounted on the bracket 572 in the same manner that the nozzle assembly 44 is mounted on the bracket 82 and differs from the nozzle assembly 44 only in that it does not include the stop 96.

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 36, the combining unit 530 provides abutments for stopping the forward travel of the nozzle 586 of each of the wire feed mechanisms 526 and 528 so that a length of each wire 502 and 504 will be fed into the head 512. The combining unit 530 also serves to accurately position the nozzles 586 and to guide the wires as they move toward the head 512 so that they will be positioned between the clamp jaws l62"in position to be received in the grooves 517 when the clamp 42' closes. In this embodiment the combining unit 530 has a base 574 mounted on the rod support 520 closely adjacent the clamp.42 of the head 512. Base 574 has an upwardly extending pedestal portion 576 on the top of which is mounted a head 577 of generally inverted T-shape (see FIG. 24) and having a vertically disposed flange 578 positioned to bisect the angle between the nozzles 586. A pair of inner guide plates 582 are secured to opposite sides of the flange 578 at the mid-portion thereof by a bolt 580 extending through a vertically extending slot 592 in the flange. The guide plate 582 has a cylindrical surface 588 adapted to receive and accurately position the end of the nozzle 586. It also has a conically shaped guide surface 584 for guiding the nozzle 586 into the cylindrical surface 588. To the right of the guide plate 582 (see FIG. 25) a cylindrical surface 589 is formed in the flange 578 and the vertical adjustment of the guideplate 582 permitted by the slot' 592 permits alignment of the cylindrical surfaces 588 and-589. At the inner end of the cylindrical surface 589 is a stop shoulder 590 adapted to engage the end of the nozzle 586 to stop its movement. The continuing movement of the shuttle 560 causes an end portion of the wire (502 in FIG. 25) to project beyond the end of the nozzle and into the head 512. To guide the wire as it is projected in this manner the flange 578 beyond-(to the right in FIG. 25) the shoulder 590 has a slightly curved surface 593 having a groove 594 adapted to receive and guide the wire. The combining unit 530 also includes a pair of outer guide plates 596 having guide surfaces 597 for cooperating with the guide surfaces 584 to guide the nozzles 586 into the cylindrical surfaces 588. Each plate 596 also includes a surface 598 adapted to engage the nozzle 586 and hold it against the cylindrical surface 588 and thus guide it to the stop 590. It will noted, however,

that the surface 598 is vertically extended to accommodate vertical adjustment-of the element 582 (see FIG. 24). The lower portions of the plates 596 overlie the opposite sides of the pedestal 576 and have horizontally elongated slots 600 through which extends bolts 602 for securing the guide plates 596 to the pedestal 

1. A head mechanism for use in an insulated wire processing apparatus comprising a base, a head reciprocably mounted on said base, clamp means mounted on said base, terminal feeder means mounted on said base, cut and strip means mounted on said head for cutting the wire to be processed thereby and cutting the insulation and stripping it from an end portion of the wire, terminal crimping means mounted on said head, first cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head in one direction relative to said base for actuating said clamp means to grip the wire, Second cooperating means on said base and head effective upon such movement to position said cut and strip assembly for operation upon the wire and to actuate said assembly to cut the wire and to cut the insulation and strip the cut insulation from the end portion of the wire, third cooperating means on said base and head effective upon such movement of the head relative to the base for actuating said terminal feeder means to position a terminal for attachment to the wire, and anvil means on said base cooperating with said crimping means upon a predetermined movement of said head relative to said base for crimping said terminal for attaching it to the wire.
 2. A head mechanism as defined in claim 1 including means effective upon movement of said head relative to said base in the opposite direction to open said cut and strip means and position it out of the path of movement of the wire.
 3. A head mechanism as defined in claim 1 including fourth cooperating means on said base and head for moving the end portion of the wire into a terminal positioned by said terminal feeder means for attachment of the terminal thereto.
 4. A head mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said fourth cooperating means includes means for moving said clamp means.
 5. A wire process apparatus adapted to make a wiring harness including two wires connected to a single terminal, said apparatus including a head mechanism having a clamp adapted to hold the two wires and means for preparing wire ends for attachment to a terminal and means for attaching a terminal to the wire ends, a pair of wire feed mechanisms angularly disposed relative to each other and including nozzle means for projecting a length of wire beyond the end thereof, and a combining unit disposed adjacent said clamp of said head mechanism and having means for actuating each of said nozzle means to effect said projection of a length of wire beyond the end of each of said nozzle means, and means for guiding each of said lengths of wire through said clamp and into position in said head mechanism and means for operating said head mechanism when both of said lengths of wire are in position to close said clamp to hold said lengths of wire and prepare wire ends for attachment of a terminal thereto and complete the attachment of a terminal thereto.
 6. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein each said nozzle means includes a nozzle body, a nozzle mounted in said body for telescoping movement relative thereto, said combining unit including a pair of angularly disposed stops adapted to be engaged by the ends of said nozzles to effect said projection of lengths of wire beyond the ends of said nozzles.
 7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said combining unit includes means for guiding said nozzles into engagement with said stops.
 8. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein each said means for guiding said length of wire includes a groove in said combining unit adapted to pass the length of wire there along and slightly arcuately shaped to cause said lengths of wire to extend in side by side parallel relation in said clamp and in said head mechanism.
 9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said clamp has mating grooves adapted when said claim is closed to receive said wires therein and hold them in side by side parallel relation and against movement through the clamp.
 10. A wire processing apparatus comprising first and second head mechanism, each operable to cut the wire and secure a terminal thereto and including a clamp for holding the wire during operation of the head mechanism, a wire feed nozzle adapted to draw wire from a source of supply, means operable to move said nozzle through said second head mechanism and toward said first head mechanism to position a length of wire between and in said head mechanisms and to return said nozzle through said second head mechanism to grip the wire between said length of wire and the source of supply of the wire prior to operation of said second head mechanisM to cut the wire, and means for operating said head mechanisms and said means for moving said nozzle.
 11. A head mechanism for use in a wire processing apparatus comprising a base, a head reciprocably mounted on said base, wire clamp means mounted on said base, terminal feeder means mounted on said base, cutter means mounted on said head for cutting the wire to be processed thereby, terminal crimping means mounted on said head, first cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head in one direction relative to said base for actuating said clamp means to grip said wire, second cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head relative to said base in said direction to actuate said cutter means to cut the wire, third cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of the head relative to the base in said direction for actuating said terminal feeder means to position a terminal for attachment to the wire, and anvil means on said base cooperating with said crimping means upon movement of said head relative to said base in said direction for crimping said terminal for attaching it to the wire.
 12. A head mechanism for use in a wire processing apparatus comprising a base, a head reciprocably mounted on said base, clamp means mounted on said base, means for positioning a wiring harness component on said base, cutter means mounted on said head for cutting the wire, first cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head in one direction relative to said base for actuating said clamp means to grip said wire, said cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head relative to said base in said direction to actuate said cutter means to cut the wire, third cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head relative to said base in said direction to actuate said means for positioning said component, and fourth cooperating means on said base and head effective upon movement of said head relative to said base in said direction to attach said component to said wire. 